Henry Kapono

Henry Kapono Ka'aihue, is of pure Hawaiian decent. He was born and raised on the island of O‘ahu

in the small town of Kapahulu, located just outside Waikiki. Christened Kapono by his mother,

it is the Hawaiian word for righteous.

His family surroundings provided the early musical influence that directed him into his present career.

He is a humanitarian, a prolific award winning songwriter, an accomplished actor and has

produced numerous albums, video works and concerts.

Henry started singing in a choir. The first instrument he learned to play was the ukulele, followed

by the acoustic guitar, which he learned to play by listening to the radio and records. His natural athletic

abilities earned him full scholarships to the highly regarded Punahou Academy in Honolulu and later,

the University of Hawai‘i. He began his professional career as a young solo performer, singing and playing

the guitar in a small folk club in Waikiki. This led to a short stint playing rock

with a local island group called Pakalolo. The group played the islands and toured the far-east, where he chose

to spend the next two years in Vietnam entertaining the troops. This experience profoundly

affected his music, his appreciation of life and his love of all people.

Upon returning to Hawai‘i, Kapono began an eight year collaboration with Cecilio Rodriguez,

forming the duo of CECILIO & KAPONO. Blending together their distinctive and individual talents,

they gave contemporary and folk rock a new perspective. Within eight months Cecilio & Kapono

had a three album recording contract with Columbia Records.

"C&K" recorded eight albums together.

Continually evolving, Kapono returned to his solo career in 1981 with the release of Kapono - Stand in the Light,

and then created an incredibly broad range of musical expressions through 12 solo albums to date.

Kapono's extensive collection of "feel good" original compositions, as well as his choice of cover songs,

resonates with many of the musical influences on his art. Bob Marley, Loggins and Messina, Eric Clapton

and the Eagles can be detected in a musical phrase here, an intonation there, and an emphasis somewhere else.

But the resulting musical tapestry is a unique

blend of aloha with soul, set to island rhythms and is exclusively Kapono's.

Henry Kapono Ka‘aihue, the man and the artist, is quintessentially Hawaiian. The gentle, powerful yet shy man

embodies the spirit of aloha and his music is infused with his love for Hawai‘i and all people.

Kapono's music transcends his Hawaiian heritage which he loves so much. He has the gift that most great artists

share: the ability to enable us to gaze upon their painting or ponder their work or listen to their music -

and find new meaning and purpose in our own lives.

Kapono touches the soul with the simple honesty of his lyrics and music, and the gift of an evocative,

plaintive balladeer's voice that haunts you long after he leaves the stage.